12 arrested, drug den shut in General Santos City operation

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-12 arrested a drug den owner and 11 others in an entrapment operation in General Santos City on Friday afternoon.

PDEA-12 agents were supposed to entrap then only Jhong Rey Guiang Portugal, but 11 others were also clamped down, caught sniffing shabu together in his drug den in a secluded area in Barangay Fatima in General Santos City.

Aileen Tan Lovitos, director of PDEA-12, told reporters on Sunday that Portugal was arrested after selling P81,600 worth of shabu to their agents, who also immediately detained the 11 individuals found inside his drug den.

Lovitos said Portugal shall be charged with violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, along with Rex Causing Celestial, Analyn Sabondo Portugal, Clint John Elisan Yabut, Roniel Estrada Berones Estrada, Renie Laurente Paras, Jesmo Cabrera Godinez, Mar John Valdez Beloncio, Raymund Paco Vidal, Mark Ian Suico Catig, Lloyd Causing Celestial and Dominic Eridiano Pacquiao.

Besides shabu, PDEA-12 agents had also seized from drug sniffing paraphernalia, according to Lovitos.

Two hours after Portugal and 11 others were locked in a detention facility in General Santos City, non-uniformed PDEA-12 agents arrested drug dealer Jirwin Pacardo Rendon during a P374,340 worth shabu tradeoff in Purok Adlawan in Barangay Zone 3 in Koronadal City, the capital of Region 12.

Lovitos said the PDEA-12 anti-narcotics sting in Koronadal City that led to the arrest of Rendon, a construction worker, was prompted by reports about his shabu peddling activities from his co-workers and neighbors in Barrio 6 in nearby Banga town in South Cotabato province.